


The Outlander

by SHIELD_Agent_Phoenix



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Family Feels, Found Family, Gen, Other, adopted family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22470376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHIELD_Agent_Phoenix/pseuds/SHIELD_Agent_Phoenix
Summary: Gwynn Abernathy was trained as a Ranger alongside her adopted brother Gilan, but one of her mentors, Crowley, knew that she would never be accepted into the corps. So he made a whole new role for her, one that was as unique and as dangerous as she was. The Outlander. A deadly combination of Ranger and Knight and a specialist among specialists. But Gwynn was the only one, which made her both valuable, and lonely. This is her story
Relationships: Crowley Meratyn & Original Character(s), Gilan & Original Female Character, Gilan & Original Male Character, Halt & Original Female Character, Original Female Character & Original Male Character, Will Treaty & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. In The Woods

Halt, Will and Gilan made their way down the forest path, chatting quietly between themselves as they made their way to the gathering. Out of the corner of his eye, Halt noticed the lone shadowy figure of a wolf, sitting just off the side of the path. The wolf’s eyes shone blue from the shadows behind it, locking eyes with Halt. As Halt stared into those icy blue eyes, he could have sworn the wolf blinked and nodded. Halt signaled Gilan, motioning toward the wolf, who melted into the shadows of the forest immediately upon making eye contact

A smile made its way across Gilan’s face. He turned to Halt and said, with a twinkle in his eye, “Say, do you think that means what I think it does?”  
“I do believe so”  
“Oh, good! It’s been so long since the last time”  
“That it has, Gilan. That it has”  
Will piped up, “How is a wolf good news?”  
Halt glanced over at Gilan, who exchanged a knowing look. “Oh, I think you’ll be finding out why soon enough” 

Gwynn was riding down the path, keeping her eyes and ears on constant lookout. Being back in this forest brought so many happy memories, and some not so happy ones. It had been almost 3 years since she had been back in this area, and there was no mistaking the homesickness that pained her before coming back. She loved her job, but between 2 years out of her home country and another year spread far and wide throughout the farmost borders of Aruelen, she was very glad to be back. 

At that moment, Ice broke through the treeline, catching Gwynn's attention. Gwynn reigned Brooke to a stop as Ice bounded up to her, his paws making almost no noise as he came to rest just next to the horse's front legs. He looked up and met Gwynn’s eyes with the shockingly ice blue orbs that were his name sake. Gywnn didn't know why the wolf had such striking eyes, but they made it easy to tell the difference between him and any wild wolves she came across. She couldn’t stop the grin spreading across her face. Since Ice had come back, it meant that Halt and Gilan were on their way, and were close

Gwynn turned around, scanning behind her for signs of anybody else on the path. For a few quiet moments, nothing happened. Her smile started to fade until she heard the sound of horses and saw three riders making their way over the rise behind her. She wondered briefly why there were three, but then remembered that, earlier that year, Halt had taken on an apprentice. She dismounted and continued to watch as they got closer and closer, her smile returning as she was able to identify the riders more clearly

Gilan urged his horse onward, and was soon gaining some ground in front of Halt and Will. As he came up over a small rise, he saw a figure farther down the path, standing next to a horse. Recognizing Gwynn immediately, Gilan picked up speed, rushing down the slope. He dismounted before his horse had stopped completely and swept her up in a gigantic hug. “Whoa,” Gwynn laughed, “careful there, you might hurt something.”

“Oh, sorry,” Gilan said, letting her down gently. He was smiling like an idiot. “It’s so good to see you. It’s been so long.”

“I know, I know. My life is always so busy, though. But this year I’m finally able to make it to the gathering again.”

“And I think the apprentices will find it all the better now.”

“Oh, speaking of apprentices, I heard Halt got a new one. How is he?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

At that moment, Halt and a young boy, rode up, slowing down as they came up to where Gwynn and Gilan were talking. “Hello Gwynn,” Halt said, nodding slightly, “it’s nice to see you.”

“Hello Halt, it’s nice to see you too. I heard that you decided to get another apprentice. What, was one not enough?” A twinkle in her eye and cheeky smile showed on her face

From deep within his hood, Gwynn saw a small shy smile sneak across Halt’s face, as he said, “Apparently not, Gwynn. This here is Will. Will, this is Gwynn.”

Gwynn held out her hand, “Hello Will, it’s nice to meet you. I hope Halt isn’t torturing you too much.”

Will gingerly took her hand, looking confused as he said. “You’re… a woman?”

Gwynn smirked in a way that Gilan and Halt knew all too well,, “Yes, Will, I am well aware of my gender. Honestly, Halt,” she sighed, putting her hand on her hip and looking right at Halt, “couldn’t you have found an apprentice with some brains?”

Halt shrugged, “Well, Gwynn, it’s not like there’s a lot of options when it comes to apprentices. I did the best I could”

Will turned red, clearly embarrassed. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I just...didn’t know there were any female rangers. That’s all. I- I didn’t mean any offense.”

Gwynn chuckled. “I’m just messing with you Will. I like to tease all the new apprentices. Almost all of them make the same mistake. Trust me, you’re not the first apprentice i’ve messed with, and you definitely won’t be the last. So,” she turned around, mounting her horse in a fluid movement, “are we going to go to this gathering, or what? It’s getting dark”

“What a lovely idea, sister,” Gilan said, mounting Blaze.

Gwynn frowned, and quickly glanced over at Will, watching confusion spread across his face. But he didn't seem to register Gilan's comment, as he was staring at the sword hanging from her belt. She turned to Gilan, and asked, her voice full of annoyance, “You really want him to continue asking me questions for the rest of the trip, don’t you?”

Gilan smiled his signature cheeky smile, and said, “Why of course. Why not?”

“I’ll get you back for this,” Gwynn muttered to Gilan, “mark my words”

“We’ll see about that, now won’t we?” Gilan said smugly, before moving up next to Halt.

Gwynn signaled for Ice to jump up onto the saddlepack, where he quickly settled down into a tight ball of fluff. They rode silently for a few minutes, before Gwynn said, loud enough for Will to hear, “Will, you do realize I can feel you staring at the back of my head, right?”

“Oh, sorry”, Will said, quickly looking down

“No, no, don’t apologize. If you want answers to the millions of questions circling your head, all you need to do is ask. Trust me, you won’t find answers by staring at the back of my cloak, and I promise I’m not going bite you for being curious. So, what do you want to know?”

“Well….Gilan called you sister earlier. Are you actually related?”

“Not by blood, but his father adopted me when my parents died, so yes, unfortunately Gilan is family”

“Oh, interesting. So, I noticed that you have a sword with you. I didn’t think women were allowed to learn to fight?”

“Technically, they’re not. But I would sneak and watch Gilan train, and then practice the exercises myself when I thought no one would notice. And it worked, until the swords-master caught me practicing. I thought I was gonna get in trouble, but instead, he offered to train me, alongside Gilan. I said yes, and, well, the rest is history.”

“So, why didn’t you become a knight?”

Gwynn chuckled slightly, “I tried, but do you honestly think any self respecting battle-school would let me enroll?”

“Oh, I guess not. How did you get into the Ranger Corps then, if the battle-schools wouldn’t take you?”

“Ah, that’s..complicated. I’m not a Ranger”

“What? How?”

“You know how the Rangers are basically Special Operatives for the King?” 

“Yes…”

“Well, I’m an Outlander, which is basically a Special Operative for the Ranger Corps.”

“Why hasn’t Halt told me about you then?”

“Oh, that’s none of my business. If Halt didn’t tell you about me, I’m pretty sure he has his reasons. That’s something to ask him on your own time”

“If you’re not actually a Ranger, then why do you have the double scabbard, longbow and horse of a Ranger? And why are you going to a Ranger gathering?”

“Like I said, it’s…complicated”

Overhearing their little chat, Gilan slowed down so he could come in on the other side of Will, “Technically, she was trained to be a Ranger”

“But then why aren’t you a Ranger?”

“Because I’m a woman, Will. I’m not a Ranger because I, unfortunately, am a woman, and all the other Rangers decided that I couldn’t be one of them. That’s why Crowley created the Outlander job, especially for me.” 

“What made you want to be a Ranger in the first place? Who trained you”

“The same crusty, salty old Ranger who trained Gilan, and who is currently training you” 

“Halt?!”

“The one and only. Although he shared that duty with Crowley, seeing as he had Gilan to train as well”

“Why were they willing to train you?”

“Because they both saw my potential. Besides Gilan, they were the only Rangers to actually believe in me, and saw the talent hidden behind the fact that I was a girl. They understood that I had extensive combat training, and knew that I would work hard to accomplish what I wanted”

“So you had two masters?”

“Yes, and they both like to rub it in. But, deep down I know they miss me”

A moment of silence passed until Will asked, “So, what Fief do you operate out of?”

“Wow, you really do have a million questions, don't you? I don’t operate out of any specific Fief. I mainly do my job at the distant borders, unless i’m called out of the kingdom”

“You operate outside of Araluen?”

“More than I would like to. Like I told you, I’m the Ranger Corps’ Special Operative. I have a slightly different job than you, and that sometimes includes working outside of the kingdom. It’s hard to leave, though, knowing that it may be the last time I ever see my homeland again”

“Does it get lonely?”

“All the time, and it never gets easier. Unless you find an unlikely companion, right Ice?”  
The wolf’s dark grey ears perked up and he raised his head at the sound of his name. Gwynn gave him a few pats on the head, “Life definitely got a little less lonely after I found him”


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

“Something’s wrong.” Halt suddenly said, gesturing to the rest of the group to slow down. They had come up on a small rise, which held a great view of where the gathering was being held and Gwynn could see figures of Rangers moving all about. Halt was right. Something was definitely wrong.

“What is it?” Will asked.

“Not sure” Halt gestured to the tent line, “see if you can find a decent campsite. I’ll go see what’s going on.” He started riding off, but then as an afterthought, he turned around and said, “don’t pitch the tents yet. From the looks of things, we may not be needing them." then continued off to the command tent. Gwynn looked at Gilan, who's face mirrored her own look of concern. She sighed, “I have a bad feeling about this. I’ll be back,” and then also headed off towards the command tent.

...

Stopping Halt outside of the command tent, Gwynn said, in a hushed whisper, "Please tell me you're not taking Will with you"

"Of course I am"

"Halt, he's a kid!"

"He's a Ranger, just like the rest of us"

"He's an apprentice Ranger. There's a difference"

"I'm taking him along, Gwynn. Deal with it"

Gwynn sighed deeply, "Fine, just make sure he's all in one piece by the time this is all over"

"Of course"

"The same goes for Gilan. If anything happens to him, I will personally make sure they'll never find your body"

"Noted"

"Good. I guess I should I get ready for my job, please stay safe. I'd hate to have to attend your funeral"

"You too, I don't want to hear that you got yourself hurt or in trouble, you hear me?"

"Awww, you actually do care"

"Shut up, we can't let the whole encampment know"


End file.
